Des Moines Metro Pickleball Club
28 minutes 21 seconds ago
Retrieving and returning a lob: This question comes up a lot in training exercises. From The Dink, this is what Susannah Barr, a professional player, suggests:
Like most winning shots in pickleball, effectively (and safely) chasing down a lob is all about patterns. First, you need to recognize and communicate whose ball it is, then it’s a game of footwork.
Resist the urge to rush and focus on a quality return. Selkirk pro Susannah Barr shows the way:
1️⃣ Pivot in the direction of your paddle hand. If you’re right-handed, this means your first step after recognizing a lob is a hard pivot back with your right foot.
2️⃣ The righty playing on the left side of the court is responsible for most lobs, as their first pivot step will be toward the middle rather than the sideline. Obviously, situations vary. And a lefty on the right side can share the load here, too.
3️⃣ Partner communication is key. As soon as the ball is in the air, you need to call out who’s going to get it. You don’t have time to run into each other and recover.
4️⃣ Don’t rush the return. Chasing down a lob can be chaotic, but the return shot should be measured and controlled. Don’t ruin a successful pursuit with a sloppy drive. Favor a drop shot and work your way back to the net just like any other point.
5️⃣ Resist the urge to lob it back. Unless it’s your only option, avoid returning a lob with a lob. Since you’re so far back, it’s likely you’ll leave it short and face an overhead smash as a result. A drop over the middle of the net is your safest option.
6️⃣ If you're the partner, take some big steps back in case the lob return is high enough for a big hit towards your feet. But don't rush too far back to the baseline in case the opponents choose to drop it short into the kitchen.
Guess what we’re going to say now? That’s right: practice makes perfect. Grab a partner and switch off hitting lobs from the kitchen line, then playing the point out from there. Your game will thank you.
